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Cape Horn, California

27 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 2001. It stands in the Markleeville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95223. It lies near Cliff Meadow. The Survey maps it on the Spicer Meadow Reservoir quadrangle. It stands 8,005 feet above sea level.

Cape Horn within Alpine County

Then and now

1896 to 2001

The same ground, surveyed 105 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Cape Horn, surveyed 2001
Topographic sheet of Cape Horn, surveyed 1896

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 27 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

149 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 149 fires within 5 miles of Cape Horn between 1992 and 2020, burning about 4,481 acres in total. 85 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Natural85
Recreation and ceremony34
Smoking11
Missing data/not specified/undetermined10
Debris and open burning6
Equipment and vehicle use2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 1996Smokingunder an acreStanislaus National ForestELEPHANT
7 September 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreStanislaus National ForestMOSQUITO
7 September 1993Smokingunder an acreStanislaus National ForestWOODCHUCK
5 September 1994Smokingunder an acreStanislaus National ForestSMOKER
4 September 1998Naturalunder an acreStanislaus National ForestSTATION
3 September 1998Naturalunder an acreStanislaus National ForestALPINE
27 September 2006Natural5.0 acresStanislaus National ForestWHEELER
26 September 1993Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreStanislaus National ForestFROG

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Alpine County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 1,901 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,901 specimens collected within 10 miles of Cape Horn between 1863 and 1975: 1,724 Animalia, 120 Fungi, 57 Plantae. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. C. Forrer, A. Eastwood & J. T. Howell, A. Forrer and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Arabis platysperma A.GrayArabis platysperma A.Gray1863William H. BrewerEbbetts Pass
Specimen of Linosyris howardii var. nevadensis A.GrayLinosyris howardii var. nevadensis A.Gray1863William H. BrewerEbbetts Pass
Specimen of Pellaea breweri D.C.EatonPellaea breweri D.C.Eaton1863William H. BrewerEbbetts Pass
Specimen of Phacelia hydrophylloides Torr. ex A.GrayPhacelia hydrophylloides Torr. ex A.Gray1863William H. BrewerNear camp at Ebbett's Pass
Specimen of Raillardia argentea A.GrayRaillardia argentea A.Gray1863William H. BrewerEbbetts Pass
Specimen of Silene watsonii B.L.Rob. & SeatonSilene watsonii B.L.Rob. & Seaton1863William H. Brewernear Ebbetts Pass
A photograph of the species Spermophilus beldingi, not of this specimenSpermophilus beldingi Merriam, 18881874A. ForrerBear Valley
A photograph of the species Iris hartwegii, not of this specimenIris hartwegii Baker1882not recorded
Specimen of Neopeckia coulteri (Peck) Sacc.Neopeckia coulteri (Peck) Sacc.1882C.G. PringleSierra Nevada Mts.
A photograph of the species Junco hyemalis, not of this specimenJunco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758)1885W.E.B.Blood's
A photograph of the species Zonotrichia leucophrys, not of this specimenZonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772)1885W.E.B.Blood's
A photograph of the species Salpinctes obsoletus, not of this specimenSalpinctes obsoletus obsoletus (Say, 1822)1886F. StephensBear Valley

All 1,901 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Cape Horn: 2 past producers, 1 occurrence, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Silver, Molybdenum, Tungsten. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bull Run No. 1Tungsten, GoldProspect
UnknownMolybdenumOccurrence
Gritton and KeeferGold, SilverPast Producer
John Mcculloh PropertyGold, SilverPast Producer

Every working recorded in Alpine County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Lake Alpine2.1 miles30
Bear Valley4.3 miles30
Peaceful Pines11.1 miles26
Silver Mountain (historical)13.1 miles32
Kirkwood15.7 miles32
Shay Creek Summer Home Area15.7 miles28
Centerville (historical)16.1 miles29
Marklee Village16.4 miles28

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikidata item Q4218985The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1658214. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.